<p>I don’t know. Sure, people tend to stick to a certain perspective (why wouldn’t they? CC is but a small part of the average parent’s life); that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in their voices. Reading those various opinions side by side is what makes a discussion board useful in my book. As long as we respond respectfully, without attacking (which doesn’t always happen, but seems better than it used to be), does it really matter whether I begin to think like Exie, or D-yer is converted to D’Andrew’s opinion about the Ivy League?</p>
<p>What makes me uncomfortable enough to stop posting altogether is this notion of all these “real” discussions going on in pm. For me pm has been a place to reveal and receive information too personal for the board, not a place to judge who’s lying and who’s just “craving validation.” </p>
<p>In particular, I can see what Pulsar is up in arms about–how is any parent on this board going to evaluate whether a student’s credentials are real or not? While I agree with Periwinkle that it’s probably useful to point out, in a general way, from time to time, that some people may be exaggerating, bottom line is that we have no way of knowing one way or the other, and that the CC crew is a pretty select crew of kids, and I don’t see much reason to doubt their self-reported creds. It might make me wonder about grade inflation, or our give-everyone-a-prize mentality, but not the kids themselves.</p>